


go, go, go (I’m right behind you)

by finkpishnets (orphan_account)



Category: McFly, One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-29
Updated: 2011-06-29
Packaged: 2017-10-28 13:16:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/308246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/finkpishnets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had actually taken Liam a while to realise he had a crush on Tom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	go, go, go (I’m right behind you)

**Author's Note:**

> For misprinting & help_japan.

Liam’s not entirely sure how Louis does it, but apparently there’s something about him that screams _be my friend_ and no one is immune, not even the rich and famous.

 

(“We’re celebrities now,” Niall says. “Sort of. You need to stop finding this shit weird.”

“But it _is_ weird!”

“Yeah, but it’s all connections, right? And Louis knows how to make them. Just go with it.”)

 

Regardless of what status they may or may not have, they’re still sitting around in Harry Judd’s house eating Chinese and drinking the beer Danny had told them they definitely weren’t allowed with a wink, and it’s _crazy_ because this is McFly and he’s just Liam and he kind of wants to go freak out in a bathroom somewhere but he’s pretty sure that’ll just make things worse.

“Hey,” Tom says, bringing a pile of plates into the kitchen where Liam’s trying to catch his breath and opening the dishwasher. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Liam says quickly. “Great. Fine.”

“Sure,” Tom says lightly, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “So, hey, Harry keeps an X-Box in the spare room. Want to go play something?”

Liam sighs in relief. “Yes, please.”

 

+

 

Tom’s kind of awesome. He’s funny and smart and thinks stalking tumblr is hilarious, _especially_ the badly written porn that has Liam worried about the state of sex education in schools these days, but he also knows when to be serious and how to motivate his band when all they want to do is lie on the floor and never do another interview again; Liam won’t admit it but Tom’s pretty much everything he wants to be.

 

+

 

“So,” the girl says, flicking her hair over her shoulder and eyeing them through eyelashes coated in too much mascara, “you’ve been spending a lot of time with McFly recently, how did that happen?”

“They’re great guys,” Louis says, leaning forward a little and offering her a charming smile until she looks at him and stops trying to catch Harry’s attention. “We met them briefly on the show and then I started chatting with Harry on twitter, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“Lovely,” she says, uncrossing her legs and crossing them again. “So, are you and Harry the closest then?”

Louis shrugs, smirking. “Nah,” he says, “we’re mates but I’ve already got a Harry of my own. I’d say Liam and Tom are the closest, actually. Last week they went to the zoo.”

Liam blinks and tries not to let his surprise show on camera because, yes, that’s probably true, but he hadn’t realised the others had noticed.

 

+

 

It had actually taken Liam a while to realise he had a crush on Tom.

The way his stomach clenched when he got a new text, his permanent smile when they hung out, those could simply be put down to the excitement of being friends with a guy he’d been seeing in magazines since he was a kid. The thrill of how quickly his life had changed.

The way he can’t stop staring at Tom’s lips isn’t as easy to explain.

 

+

 

“It’s kind of cute,” Louis says, squeezing into the middle of the sofa, and Harry nods, lifting his legs so he can drape them over Louis’ lap.

“I hate you,” Liam says, “seriously.”

“Sure,” Louis says, “apart from how you don’t. Now, tell me, are you planning on just being a lovesick dork for the rest of time or do you intend to grow a pair and do something about it?”

“I’m a _kid_ ,” Liam says because that’s number three on the list of reasons he’s mentally prepared for why this is a _bad idea_.

Harry shrugs. “So?”

“He’s _twenty five_ ,” Louis points out. “That’s hardly ancient.”

“Yeah, but-”

“ _Ah_ ,” Louis interrupts, holding up a finger to Liam’s lips. Liam’s tempted to bite it; he’s fairly sure it’d make him feel at least a little bit better but he doesn’t really want to hear Louis whine about it for the rest of the day. “This is a rejection thing."

“Of course it’s a rejection thing,” Liam says, rolling his eyes. “It’s always a rejection thing. But this is a _completely valid_ one.”

“So says you,” Harry says as Louis nods, and Liam really, really needs to only ever talk to them when they’re alone because together they’re insufferable.

Liam bites Louis’ finger. The whining is worth it.

 

+

 

He doesn’t do anything about it because he’s still _him_ and nothing Louis and Harry say can change that, but now he’s hyper aware of everything he says, the way their arms are pressed together when they watch a film on Tom’s sofa, and it’s _hell_.

Liam’s fairly certain he used to be at least a little bit cool, but now he’s blushing and stuttering and tripping over his own feet like he’s just hit puberty, and he’s honestly never been more embarrassed in his life. The only silver lining is that Tom doesn’t seem to notice, just throws him the occasional _are you okay?_ glance that Liam deflects with a smile, and goes back to being completely oblivious.

The whole recording contract, fame and money thing aside, Liam _hates his life._

 

+

 

“Okay,” Tom says, dropping into the chair next to Liam’s, beanie pulled low on his head, “what’s up?”

“Nothing,” Liam says automatically.

“Right,” Tom says, sighing. “You’ve been ignoring my calls, you didn’t show up for Tuesday night movies, and I know you weren’t ill last weekend because I called Louis and he told me you were hiding out at Ben & Jerry’s with Zayn.”

“I hate Louis,” Liam says because that always needs reiterating.

“Shut up, this has nothing to do with Louis. Apparently it is to do with _me_ though.”

“It’s not-” Liam starts with a sigh. “You didn’t _do_ anything. It’s not _you_ , it’s me.”

There’s a pause in which Tom just stares at him disbelievingly, and then they’re both laughing hard, curled into themselves as the café’s other customers stare.

“You actually just said that,” Tom says eventually when he’s caught his breath, and Liam clutches his side where it’s begun to ache. “Also, that’s a break-up line.”

Everything suddenly seems a lot less funny, and Tom seems to realise it too.

“Oh,” Tom says, “are we breaking up? Is that what’s happening here?”

Liam frowns. “How could it be?”

Tom shrugs. “Friends break up all the time, right? Harry and Dougie threaten it on a weekly basis.”

“Harry and Dougie actually have sex,” Liam points out, and Tom waves a hand like that’s unimportant.

“You’re avoiding the question,” he says, and Liam sighs because he is and it’s stupid and most of him just wants to tell Tom the truth.

“It’s not a break up,” he says instead because it’s not everything but it’s not a lie.

“Good,” Tom says, shoulders relaxing as he smiles. “Then you’re paying.”

 

+

 

“There’s a picture of you in _heat_ ,” Niall says, throwing the magazine at him, and Liam wants to ask why Niall was reading it in the first place but he’s sort of afraid to know the answer.

It’s an out and about segment, candid shots of celebrities shopping or waiting for taxis or holding Starbucks cups, and near the bottom right-hand side is a picture of Liam and Tom, heads bent close as they walk through Trafalgar Square.

“You guys make a cute couple,” Niall says, grinning, and Liam resolves to duct tape Louis’ mouth shut before he tells the whole world.

“Thanks,” he says sarcastically. He’s pretty sure no one’s convinced.

 

+

 

“We’re going to try something,” Tom says, pausing the DVD. Liam’s not been paying attention anyway, his head too full of thoughts and his stomach clenched tight at the feel of Tom’s thigh pressed against his.

“Huh?” he says, frowning, and Tom sighs.

“Just sit still,” Tom says, and then he leans forward and presses their lips together.

Liam freezes.

Tom pulls back after a few seconds looking thoughtful.

“Okay,” he says, turning around and pressing play again.

Liam has no idea what just happened.

 

+

 

“Here,” Harry says, handing Liam a piece of paper that looks suspiciously like it’s been ripped out of a book. “Louis wants me to tell you that he’s sorry but you can’t be friends anymore because he’s not friends with, uh, _cowardly, ridiculous losers who don’t even know when they’ve got a boyfriend, you moron_.” He frowns. “I think that was it.”

“Right,” Liam says, “thanks. Really. If I’d have known it was this easy to get rid of him I would have done it ages ago.”

Harry grins. “Yeah,” he says, “also I’m pretty sure he copied that letter from an advice column he found online if you want to mock him mercilessly.”

“I’ve always liked you best,” Liam tells him seriously, and Harry laughs.

“Well _duh_.”

 

+

 

Louis’ words (well, _Harry’s_ ; Louis is actually staying true to his word and hasn’t said anything to Liam in days, it’s oddly refreshing) stay in Liam’s head, however much he wants to ignore them, and he’s just- he’s so _confused_.

It goes against every logical, insecure bone in his body but he still gets in a taxi and gives the driver Tom’s address; it takes him ten minutes of second guessing himself before he can actually ring the bell.

“Hi,” Tom says, smiling in surprise, and Liam tries to smile back but his mouth won’t co-operate and it comes out as more of a grimace.

“Are you my boyfriend?” he says, and it sounds just as stupid as he knew it would when it was tumbling through his head on the journey here.

Tom looks taken aback but he’s not slammed the door in Liam’s face which already makes this scenario ten times better than he’d imagined.

“No,” Tom says after a moment, and Liam feels his stomach drop, bile rising in his throat, and oh fuck, he _shouldn’t be here_. “No, wait,” he says as Liam goes to run away. “Liam, _stop_.”

He doesn’t want to - he wants to be as far away as possible right now, hiding under his duvet and never talking to anyone ever again – but his feet are still planted to the doorstep.

“I’m not your boyfriend,” Tom says, “because that would require us talking about it and deciding that that’s what we want to be to each other and working out the logistics. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t _like_ to be.”

“Oh,” Liam says, “really?”

Tom laughs, happy and relieved, and Liam can feel it threading through him.

“Yeah.”

“Is this the part where we talk about it?” Liam asks, and he still feels so young and so out of his league, but Tom’s smiling at him and if he focuses on that he can forget everything else.

“No,” Tom says, “no, this is the part where you come in and kiss me.”

Liam can deal with that.

 

+

 

Louis starts talking to him again, which is, as Liam points out, the only downside of this whole thing.

Harry intercedes the proceeding bundle which is yet another reason why Harry’s his favourite.

Well, _almost_ his favourite.


End file.
